New Knit Stitch a Week: Drop stitch lace

Teaching myself one new knit stitch a week, from the Complete Guide to Needlework book, c. 1979.

I cast on 14 stitches in Stitch Nation Washable Ewe on size 8 needles.

Rows 1 to 4: knit
Row 5: K 00 (winding thread twice around the needle)
Row 6: K, letting extra loop drop

I really liked the look of this stitch, and it looks the same, right side and wrong side. I'm not sure what I would use it for, but it's a nice texture.

Stitching Saturday: Finished Baby Blanket

Yup, there it is - my finished Chevron Baby Blanket (free pattern from Purl Soho) - I really like how this blanket came together! As you can see I did thin stripes of ivory, light pink, darker pink, light green, and turquoise in Love This Yarn. I went with thin stripes so I could use up leftover bits of yarn - that's all very well but it meant LOTS of ends to weave in.

The texture is a bit thick and nubbly, but not unpleasant - it would probably feel amazing underfoot in a sturdy cotton - I might try that soon. The only thing I'm not impressed with is how I bound it off - I followed the directions, took it apart, and tried it again, then decided just to leave it and not let it bug me. But if you study it closely, you can see the peaks on the bottom, where I bound off, are not as pleasantly pointy as they are on the top. I bet blocking might help with that, but again, I love it and I won't let it worry me.

I washed and dried it and handed it off to my work friend yesterday, and she seemed to really love it. She says her husband's a shutterbug, so I may even see a few photos with baby on it - yay! Now I need another lap blanket to knit up - this was fun!

My playlist for this blanket was an interesting mix of (fittingly) Call The Midwife - really an excellent show, you should definitely check it out and (not so fittingly) Game of Thrones, which was really just a compilation of guttural sounds (every time I hear a gush or splash, I don't look up), awkward sex scenes, and male on female or male on male brutality. I have tried to get into Game of Thrones, but aside from admiring the author's ability to create a universe of complex characters, I can't get into the constant brutality. The books start off ok, and get more and more graphic and strangely, boring. But I will keep going, if only to see Daenerys rock their world. Her, Arya, Brienne, the costumes, and the dragons are pretty much the only thing that keeps me going.

New Knit Stitch a Week: Oblique Openwork

Teaching myself one new knit stitch a week, from the Complete Guide to Needlework book, c. 1979.

I cast on 12 stitches in Yarn Bee Andes Alpaca in Peacock, size 8 needles.

Row 1: K1, *yo, K 2 tog*, K1
Rows 2 and 4: purl
Row 3: K2, *yo, K 2 tog*

I'm really liking this open pattern, but it depends on the yarn. It's kind of hard to see the open spaces in my photo, but it's a nice eyelet sort of look. I first tried a mustardy acrylic Vanna's Choice yarn, and it looked kinda like 70's macramé (not my favorite):



The wrong side makes a pretty pattern - I like both sides equally, I think:

Feline Friday: To Sir, With Love

I've been feeding this old fellow for about 2 and a half weeks now, but he did make a few appearances here and there before that. The entire time I've known him, he's been sick and very skinny, and I worried over his runny nose and labored breathing. I'd been hoping his stubborn cold would clear up so I could get him fixed, so I made sure to feed him well and make sure he was comfortable.

Saturday, however, when getting up to greet me, he fell over, then pulled himself up, then stumbled and fell over, again. I felt terrible for not being able to take him in sooner - I bought myself a cat carrier, lured him in with a bit of food, and trucked us both to the Animal Emergency room. He was so patient and calm in the carrier and with the vets - a perfect gentleman.



$300 of savings later, I learned he was a very old cat indeed (I didn't get an estimate of exactly how old) with bad teeth and a nasty respiratory infection, but aside from that he was very healthy for his age. He was also negative FeLV and negative FIV, which is good news for fighting his infection. He was given an antibiotics shot and an injection of fluids, and he earned some much-needed downtime in the garage with a comfy bed, food, and water that evening and the next.



Once he's better, my first project will be getting him fixed, then hopefully seeing to his teeth - you can tell he has tooth issues by the way he holds his jaw, up above. I am intimidated by the cost.

Have any of you had cat dental work done? How much was it? This will help me plan / save accordingly...



Here he is in his favorite spot - my mom's garden. He's careful with the plants and never lays on them or poops on them - he just seems to love laying on the wood chips. He's such a sweet, polite fellow, I often call him "Sir."

New Knit Stitch a Week: Seed Stitch

Teaching myself one new knit stitch a week, from the Complete Guide to Needlework book, c. 1979.

I cast on 11 stitches in Yarn Bee Andes Alpaca in Peacock, size 8 needles.

Every row: * K1, P1 *, K1

After years of trial and (mostly) error, I finally mastered the seed stitch! I'm still not impressed with the way mine looks - other people's seed stitch look so textural and pleasantly bumpy, but at least I got the basics.



I was so excited, I stitched it up with 3 different kinds of yarn: Turquoise- Yarn Bee Andes Alpaca; Pink- Stitch Nation Washable Ewe; Grey- Vanna's Choice. I like this stitch most with a plump yarn, like that Vanna's Choice or Andes Alpaca.

New Knit Stitch a Week: Trinity Stitch

Teaching myself one new knit stitch a week, from the Complete Guide to Needlework book, c. 1979.

I used size 8 needles, and cast on 11 stitches in Vanna's Choice yarn in Eggplant.

Rows 1 and 3: Purl
Row 2: *P 3 tog, KPK into next st *, P3 tog
Row 4: *KPK into first st, P 3 tog*, KPK into last st

I was looking for a bobble-type stitch that was easy to work - I get lost in complicated instructions, I'm hopeless at keeping track of them. This stitch was it - super easy, once you know the basics. I think I'd love to knit this up as a blanket or hat pattern.

I recommend this youtube video if you'd like an excellent visual demonstration.

New Knit Stitch a Week: Wasp's Nest

I've been teaching myself one new knit stitch a week, from the Complete Guide to Needlework book, c. 1979.

I used size 8 needles, and cast on 12 stitches of Bamboo Ewe yarn in Eucalyptus.

Row 1: *cross 2 RK, cross 2 LK *
Row 2 and alt rows: Purl
Row 3: *cross 2 LK, cross 2 RK *

A bit of a pain to knit, since I always knit a bit tight, but pretty.

Stitching Saturday: blanket knitting progress

Yes, I've been very remiss in posting my crafting photos. I know it's been a whirlwind of cat posts lately. :) Anyhow, up above is the proof I am steadily crafting - here is the blanket I started at the end of last summer, that lay on my lap most of the unusually cold winter as I plugged away, knitting row after row of garter stitches.

There are colors I am more happy with, and others I am less happy with, but I find that the larger it gets, the less picky I am about how one color looks next to another. The beauty of something so varied is that your eye tends to blend it all together, anyway. I've gotten LOTS of compliments on the colors in this one.

It's also gotten so large it is hard to photograph - it covers the width of my full bed completely at this point. I think I'd still like to make it bigger - maybe Queen size. It's been great fun.



Here's a chevron baby blanket that's taken up the past week and a half of my knitting (pattern from Purl Soho). I'd say I'm about halfway done. It's a gift for an office mate, and I took it to her shower so she could approve the color choices. They got pretty rave reviews there, so overall I'm feeling a lot happier about my color choices, which is where I've always felt iffiest in knitting. :)

I love the chunky texture - it's the same Love This Yarn I'm using on the Log Cabin blanket, but I've knit it here with size 9 needles. I'd be tempted to knit up another version in a cotton yarn as a bath mat, because I bet it would feel awesomely squishy under your feet, but we'll see about that. I try to keep a balance with knitting and physical activity, as I put on a few pounds this winter I've been going to the gym to shake off. :)

Hope all is well with you and you are happily crafting! Anyone else knitting up blankets?

Feline Friday: Trip back in time

The cats in my backyard have come such a long way since I started feeding them in October, so I thought I'd take you back in time...

Here's Ice Cream now:


And here was Ice Cream on her first visit:



The kittens wouldn't go anywhere without the company of Brother:



They'd walk in a cute little line, with Freckles in the lead:



Then Pickles:



Then the whole gang:



It's hard to believe it's been 4 months! I can pet almost all of them now. Ice Cream is the only holdout - she loves sitting near me with her eyes closed, but if I attempt to pet her she dashes.



Everyone is healthy and recovering well from their surgeries. Fur is growing back on their tummies and they're energetic and the most playful I've ever seen them. I got them a couple of toy balls and they went nuts with them. :)

But I'm a little discouraged about them being tame with other humans - every time I bring someone outside to see them they scatter, and won't come back until everyone is gone. Then they go back to being the loving, playful, friendly kitties only I can see. I feel like that cartoon with the singing frog. :(

In more encouraging news, I found the kind neighborhood person who fixed Brother! I met her by chance when I was picking up cat spay vouchers. She's been feeding him at a church parking lot for months, and was worried that she hadn't seen him lately - I was happy to tell her he was doing well and hanging out in my back yard.



Orange kitty made another visit a few days ago and looked marvelous. Again, he was freshly washed, smelled nice, and if you can believe it, the scar on his head is almost completely gone. I was in a hurry out the door or I would have snapped a pic - will do next time!

Feline Friday: Sofia and Dot visit the vet

Sofia and Dot are no longer looking for love in all the wrong places. :) Sofia (above) is a green-eyed beauty - everyone who sees her remarks on how gorgeous she is. The first time I saw Sofia I was outside, knitting in the grass - she marched right up to me and climbed into my lap, purring and meowing hello. She was the one I wanted to adopt first - she's very loving with humans and my mom loves her, too. But sometimes she scratches and bites really hard, seemingly without warning.

Over time I've figured out why Sofia lashes out- she hates other animals. If you pet any of the other cats and try to pet Sofia, she will scratch the crap out of you. Just seeing another cat puts her in hellfire mode - I've seen her practically jump on other cats, scratching and hissing and growling. Seriously - here's what she does with a toy mouse. The weirdest thing is - she's from the same litter as the rest of the kitties, but she hates all of them.



Dot is a quiet sweetheart. She gives you your space, so you must approach her first, but she purrs and adores any attention she receives. When I first saw her in January, I groaned - another cat! But her poor nose was scraped up, scabbed over and scratched and her quiet demeanor won me over. Her nose has healed, but the fur hasn't grown back, making her look like she has a dot, hence her name. (I was watching a lot of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and that had something to do with her name, as well.) :) She's not a fan of the other cats, either, but she's not fierce like Sofia. She gives the cats a warning swipe or hiss if they get too close, but she doesn't fight. She likes to sleep in her own quiet spot in the garage, or near Brother. I think she might be the mother of all the kittens, and maybe she is Brother's sister (and/or or former mate - ew). Cat family trees have a bit of an ick factor. :)

I had them both in the humane traps the night before surgery- in separate rooms because Sofia was a spitfire in the cage. Dot started meowing in the middle of the night, and was only quiet when I pet her, so I put her cage by my bed and she immediately quieted down.

The next morning, I took them to SNAP - I have to say I am really impressed with them overall. Check-in takes a long time, which is my only beef with them, but you can tell they care about every animal they receive, including feral cats. The ear-tipping was done neatly, with almost no scabbing. The 2 cats I took to Boerne last month have an uneven ear-tip, and one of them is not quite healed. I had both cages covered, which usually keeps them calm - but Sofia's cage bounced up and down as she bucked and hissed and growled. People wondered if I had a wild animal in there. So strange that the tamest of the cats was the wildest in the cage.

After surgery they were groggy and sleepy - Sofia was very woozy and Dot was shaky - a side-effect of the anesthesia. That night Sofia ate like a starving animal, and Dot had a good appetite, too. I put their cages in the same room, but blocked their view of each other. Sofia meowed a lot that night, and growled every time she heard Dot move. The second day, they ate and drank water like normal, and I was able to lure Dot into a kennel with a litterbox, then back into her cage. Sofia didn't touch the litterbox, and spent the whole time in the kennel growling and hissing.

The third day, they ate and drank and Dot waited patiently to use the litterbox. Sofia made a mess in her cage, poor thing. That night I moved Sofia into the kennel to sleep - she finally grasped the concept of the litterbox and calmed down. I moved Dot's cage into my room again and she was quiet, too - only waking a few times to meow inquisitively. When I released them, Dot continued to rest in the garage in her favorite spots, while Sofia disappeared instantly, but she's returned on schedule for breakfast and dinner every day.

I am so happy to be done with this cat fixing adventure! Whether I am able to find these cats homes or not, I'll continue to feed them and give them shelter, and now I know they won't be contributing new lives to our overpopulated neighborhood.

My next project will be tending to Orange Kitty - he only turns up a few times a week...


Curiously, when Dot and Sofia were in the house he yowled and cried every morning and evening, as if he was looking for them. Boyfriend? Pal? Who knows... :)